Applicator for pasty material



Aug. 13, 4 G, SM H APPLICATOR FOR PASTY MATERIAL KMYZ Filed May 8, 1961 fnvenzor G'szcz Smith Byhis fliforney United States Patent 3,10tl,314 APPLICATOR FOR PASTY MATERIAL Giista Smith, Halsinghorg, Sweden, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Boston, Mass, a corporation of New Jersey Filed May S, 1961, Ser. No. 108,599 Claims priority, application Sweden Aug. 9, 1960 4 Claims. (Cl. 15-511) This invention relates to an applicator device for a contajner for pasty materials, and more particularly to a spreading device for a collapsible tube used for a pasty shoe dressing.

Applicator devices are well known which include a cylindrical pad of cellular plastic having a central supply passage for the paste contents of a dispensing container. These applicator pads are supported by a rigid holder which screws onto the container. A cap to prevent drying out of the material usually accompanies such an assembly.

Such applicator devices have not, however, proved to be altogether successful. The shoe polish extruded through the central passage does not adhere to the spreading surface in a quantity sufiicient to transfer an even and thin layer :of paste to a shoe surface. Also, if the spreading pad is a porous cellular material, after use it retains a quantity of the paste which dries making the spreading surface comparatively stiff. Stiifened pads do not conform to the shape of the surface to be treated andapplication of a uniform layer is difficult.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a spreading device of the class described which adapt-s itself to a surface to be treated with flexibility and adequate distribution of the paste material and which avoids the stiffening difliculties of previous spreading devices.

This object is achieved according to the present invention by a novel spreading pad of cellular rubbery material constructed to provide a plurality of spreading surfaces when the pad is pressed or wiped against a surface to be coated and automatically to cover these spreader surfaces to retard drying and stiffening of the material when the pad is not in use.

The spreading device of the present invention includes a resilient pad of cellular rubbery material secured to a base which is in turn secured to a dispensing container to supply material to the surface of the pad. The distributing end surface of the pad is provided with sharp incisions penetrating to a certain extent into the pad and subdividing it into separate flexible elements.

These flexible elements are bent sideways when the pad is pressed and wiped against a surface, exposing the walls of the elements to serve as spreader elements for material supplied to thesurface of the pad. When pressure is released the elements return to the initial position and the walls of the elements come together to close the division and are protected against stiffening through loss of sol vent.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation with par-ts broken away of a shoe paste tube and an applicator cap showing one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an applicator pad of FIG. 1, with the cap removed showing the spreading surface of the pad;

3,100,314 Patented Aug. 13, 1963 FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation with parts broken away and the cap removed :of the applicator of FIG. 1 as deformed when pressed against a surface in use;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevation with parts broken away and the cap removed of the applicator pad of FIG. 1 after use;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation with parts broken away of another embodiment of a shoe paste tube and an applicator cap according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an applicator pad of FIG. 5 with the cap removed showing the spreading surface of the pad; and

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of a further embodiment of an applicator pad according to the present invention.

The applicator pad 10 of the present invention in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a cellular plastic material, the cells of which are wholly or partly separated from each other so that the pad does not absorb the paste. The plastic material may be any resilient cellular natural or synthetic rubber or cellular resin, such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane cut into a thin cylindrical shape. Resilient polyurethane closed cell foam is a preferred material since it is not affected by the solvent content of shoe paste.

The pad 10 is shown adhesively secured to a base 12' which is in turn provided with suitable means for securing it to a dispensing container. In the-form shown, the securing means is a threaded section 14 for co-operation with the threaded neck 16 of a collapsible tube 1 8. The pad 10 may, however, be secured to any type base either permanently or separately attached to the paste container.

The pad 10 is provided with a central supply passage 2t) communicating with the opening in the bottom of the base 12 and with the opening in the nipple 22 of the tube 18. There is also a removable cover 24 provided with a central pin 26 which extends through the supply passage 20 of the pad sealing it when the tube is covered.

At its outer surface 28 the pad 10 is provided with a number of sharp incisions 30 extending down into the body of the pad and dividing it into separate elements 32 separated from each other. When the end surface 28 of the pad during application is pressed against a surface 34 to be treated, the separate elements 32 of the pad 10 will be bent and, as shown in FIG. 3, the walls 36 of the elements 32 are exposed as spreader surfaces 28 resiliently pressed against the surface 34 to be coated. Paste supplied through passage Zil is spread by the surfaces 28 in a veryeffective manner. The flexibility of the separate elements3 2 of the applicator surface 28 of the pad 10 adapts itself to a surface to be treated so that even diflicult over-all portions of the surface may be treated.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the applicator sur-fa'ce 28 of' the pad 10 is provided with two sets of incisions 30 being equally spaced and intersecting one another substantially at right angles. The separate elements 32 formed by these intersecting incisions 30*will have rectangular cross-sections which are easy to bend out when the applicator surface 28 is subjected to pressure to expose the side walls 36 as a spreading surface, as shown in FIG. 3. The multitude of separate elements have great elasticity, regaining their original shape quickly. As shown in FIG. 4, the walls 36 serving as spreader surfaces 28 of the elements 32 come together when the spreader is not in use, so that the surface 34 in an even and thin layer.

evaporation of solvent from any paste retained on the walls 36 is retarded or prevented and the pad does not become stiff.

In a second embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the incisions 30 have the form of circles extending concentrically with the supply passage 20 or the outer circumference of the pad. The separate elements 32 are thus formed as annular lips which under pressure bend to expose the walls 36 of the elements and increase the "effective surface area of the pad 11. When the pad is not in use, the elements 32 are returned to their initial position by the elasticity of the pad and most of the paste is pressed out. Any

retained paste is dispersed in the incisions and is not suflicient even if dried to harden the pad.

The applicator surface 28 of the pad 11 shown in FIGS. '5 and i6 is concave, forming 'a cavity 38 having its greatest height at the center of the pad, i.e., at the mouth of the supply passage 20., The cavity 38 encloses the amount of paste that is pressed out through the supply passage 20 and when the pad 11 is moved over the surface 34 to be treated the amount of paste enclosed in the cavity 38 is brought along. The edge of the pad because of the flexibility of the concentrically. separate portion closely adapts itself to the surfaces 3-4 to be treated, preventing the paste from flowing out, and at the same time distributing it across the surfaces in an even and thin layer. 7

The incisions 30 of the applicator surface 28 of the pad 11 are formed in such a way that the flexibility of the separate elements 32 increases towards the edge of the pad. Also, since the pad has an over-all thickness of from approximately 7 inch to ,6 inch, the incisions should be at least one-third the depth of the pad, preferably at least about A; inch to furnish effective flexibility. In the pad 11 having a concave surface the flexibility is preferably achieved by giving different incisions, such a depththat they terminate in a planeparallel with a plane through the exterior edge of the pad 28.

In a pad 40 constituting another embodiment of the applicator and having a plane application surface 28, the depth of the incisions 30' can decrease towards the center of the pad, as shown in FIG. 7. Since the center of the pad receives the greater pressure, the incisions at the center will be more nearly completely deformed,

' and the walls of the incisions will provide a wider spreading surface, whereas the edges will be less deformed and require deeper incisions to provide a larger spreading surface.

*Inuse, the paste is squeezed through the supply passage 20 to the surface 28 of the pad 10*, 11 or 40 and the pad'is wiped over the surface 34 to be treated. The paste covers the spreading surface area 28; the total area being increased by the Wall surfaces 36 of the flattened incisions 30. The flexible elements provided at the edges of the spreading surface conform to awkward areas oflered by the treated surface 34, preventing the paste from flowing out and at the same time distributing it across After use, the pad conforms to its original undistorted shape and is capped while not in use. The pad remains soft and pliable, since any residual paste retained on the walls of the spreader elements does not harden. 7

It is to be understood that this special example of use, i.e., for shoe pastes, is not to be considered as limiting V the invention to a special applicator.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A spreader for pasty materials including a volatile solvent comprising a resilient closed cell cellular pad of having a distributing end surface formed with incisions extending into said pad and subdividing said pad into separate resiliently flexible elements, said elements forming a plurality of contiguous rows on the surface of said pad, the surface areas of the incision-formed walls of said elements constituting a major portion of the total side wall area of said elements and constituting the entire side wall area of at least one of said elements, said separate elements when subjected to wiping pressure bending to expose said incision-formed walls of said elements to provide spreading surfaces and enabling said applicator surface to adapt itself to a surface to be treated, and said elements resiliently returning to their initial relation With the incision-formed walls of adjacent elements in close engagement when said pressure is released.

2. A spreader for pasty materials including a volatile solvent comprising a resilient closed cell cellular pad of rubbery material formed with a centrally disposed supply passage for pasty material extending completely through said pad for, communication with an opening for a container for said pasty material, said cellular pad having a distributing end surface formed with incisions extending from the end surface into said cellular pad to I a depth graduated in decreasing length from edge towards center of said pad and subdividing said pad into separate resiliently flexible elements, said elements forming a plurality of contiguous rows 0n the surface of said pad, the surface areas of the incision-formed walls of said elements constituting a major portion of the total side wall area of said elements and constituting the entire side wall area of at least one of said elements, said separate elements when subjected to wiping pressure bending to expose said incisiorrformed walls of said elements to provide spreading surfaces and enabling said applicator surface to adapt itself to a surface to be treated, and said elements resiliently returning to their initial relation with the incision-formed walls of adjacent elements in close engagement when said pressure is released.

3. A spreader for pasty materials including a volatile solvent comprising a resilient closed cell cellular pad of rubbery material formed with a centrally disposed supply passage for pasty material extending completely through said pad for communication with an opening of a container for said pasty material, said cellular pad having a distributing end surface formed with intersecting incisions, subdividing said pad into separate resiliently flexible elements of'cellular material, said elements forming a plurality of contiguous rows on the surface of said pad, the surface areas of the incision-formed walls of said elements constituting a major portion of the total side wall area of said elements and constituting the entire side wall area of at least one of said elements, said separate elements when subjected to wiping pressure bending out, exposing the incision-formed walls of said elements to provide spreading surfaces and enabling said applicator surface to adapt itself to a surface to be treated and said elements resiliently returning to their initial relation with the incision-formed walls of adjacent elements in close engagement when said pressure is released;-

having a concave distributing end surface formed with concentric incisions subdividing said pad into annular separate resiliently flexible elements, said elements form ing a plurality of contiguous rows on the surface of said pad, the surface areas of the incision-formed walls of said elements constituting a major portion of the total side wall area of said elements and constituting the entire side wall area of at least one of said elements, said incisions terminating in a plane parallel with a plane References Cited in the file of this patent through the exterior edge of said pad, said separate annular elements being sufiiciently flexible to bend under UNITED STATES PATENTS Wiping pressure to expose said incision-formed walls of ,0 Pederson Oct. 22, 1912 said elements to provide spreading surfaces and enabling 5 ,192 Spahr Nov. 14, 1933 said applicator surface to adapt itself to a surface to be ,9 3 Hemiksson Dec. 6, 1960 treated, and said elements resiliently returning to their initial relation with the incision-formed walls of adja- FOREIGN PATENTS cent elements in close engagement when said pressure is 444,265 Great Britain Man 18, 1936 released. 10 

1. A SPREADER FOR PASTY MATERIALS INCLUDING A VOLATILE SOLVENT COMPRISING A RESILIENT CLOSED CELL CELLULAR PAD OF RUBBERY MATERIAL FORMED WITH A CENTRALLY DISPOSED SUPPLY PASSAGE FOR PASTY MATERIAL EXTENDING COMPLETELY THROUGH SAID PAD FOR COMMUNICATION WITH AN OPENING OF A CONTAINER FOR SAID PASTY MATERIAL, SAID CELLULAR PAD HAVING A DISTRIBUTING END SURFACE FORMED WITH INCISIONS EXTENDING INTO SAID PAD AND SUBDIVIDING SAID PAD INTO SEPARATE RESILIENTLY FLEXIBLE ELEMENTS, SAID ELEMENTS FORMING A PLURALITY OF CONTIGUOUS ROWS ON THE SURFACE OF SAID PAD, THE SURFACE AREAS OF THE INCISION-FORMED WALLS OF SAID ELEMENTS CONSTITUTING A MAJOR PORTION OF THE TOTAL SIDE WALL AREA OF SAID ELEMENTS AND CONSTITUTING THE ENTIRE SIDE WALL AREA OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS, SAID SEPARATE ELEMENTS WHEN SUBJECTED TO WIPING PRESSURE BENDING TO EXPOSE SAID INCISION-FORMED WALLS OF SAID ELEMENTS TO PROVIDE SPREADING SURFACES AND ENABLING SAID APPLICATOR SURFACE TO ADAPT ITSELF TO A SURFACE TO BE TREATED, AND SAID ELEMENTS RESILIENTLY RETURNING TO THEIR INITIAL RELATION WITH THE INCISION-FORMED WALLS OF ADJACENT ELEMENTS IN CLOSE ENGAGEMENT WHEN SAID PRESSURE IS RELEASED. 